Celebrating Women’s Health

This event helped highlight the importance of the health challenges that women face. Hosted by Dairy Farmers of Canada (DFC), the symposium made stops this week in Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal, welcoming more than 1,600 dietitians and health professionals.

“Women face specific challenges such as worrying about their weight or maintaining muscle and bone health as they get older,” says Isabelle Neiderer, DFC’s Director of Nutrition and Research. “These issues are often under-addressed. It is important that dietitians and other health professionals are informed about these issues and how to help their clients achieve their health goals—that is why we chose this theme this year.”

Dr. Angela Alberga of Concordia University spoke about the effects of the messages promoted by the media and society about how women should look on the internalization of weight bias. More than 72% of images and 77% of videos in the media stigmatize obese individuals. And yet internalized weight bias is associated with higher levels of overeating and avoidance of exercise, further contributing to weight gain.

Dr. Stéphanie Chevalier of McGill University presented her research on metabolic alterations that occur with age, leading to muscle and function losses, as well as nutritional strategies to counteract them, and Dr. Kelsey Mangano of the University of Massachusetts discussed the nutritional factors that affect bone health across the lifespan.

Lastly, Dr. Elizabeth Mansfield, a Sport Nutrition Specialist with Peak Performance, spoke about specific nutritional needs of physically active women and nutritional strategies to adopt to improve energy supply. These strategies will help improve women’s overall health and sports performance.

This symposium is one of several initiatives led by DFC to promote healthy eating and a healthy lifestyle based on the latest information and best available scientific evidence on the role of milk products in a healthy diet. To learn more about the event, please visit dairynutrition.ca/symposium.